Members Present:
- Grayson Gordon, Mary Kellum, Mark White, Alex Graham, Alyssa Collins, Shanna Dale, Kathy Mann, Faith Grace, Chulapol Thanomsing, Jessi Dreckman, Rogers Taylor, Kristi Ary, Karen Ryburn, Sophia Skinner and Sylvia Kuhlmeier
Call to Order:
- Grayson Gordon called the meeting to order.
Approval of Minutes:
- Rogers Taylor made a motion to approve the May 2012 minutes. Alex Graham seconded. Motion was approved.
Chancellor’s Update:
- Board of Governor’s Meeting is Friday, June 22.
- Referenced “Summer Happenings” around campus, including:
- Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival June 15-16
- National Audio Theatre Festival June 18-22
- Kids’ College July 9-12 and
- Grizzly Basketball and Volleyball camps throughout July.
- Discussed efforts to ensure enrollment numbers catch up to application/admission numbers. Phone campaign in progress to assist students in signing up for a STAR session sooner, rather than later. Want to avoid the last minute rush to register immediately before the fall semester begins.
- Mary Kellum noted that the phone number that shows up in caller ID is a generic MSU-Springfield. Grayson will ask Brett to look into that to see if anything can be done so that students see the name of the department calling on their Caller ID.
- Complimented Sylvia Kuhlmeier on the Friends of the Garnett Library newsletter and indicated he would work with the Director of University Communications to “push” information to her to include in the newsletter.
- A second endowed professorship has been created for the Honors Program.
- The Long-Range Plan will be presented to the Board of Governors on June 22nd.
- The annual budget process outcome seems to be more positive than we first believed. One-time monies are being used to off-set cuts, so next year it is likely we will see some cuts. President Smart is hopeful that a modest pay increase could be possible again this upcoming year.
Old Business:
Personnel Searches:
- Custodian 1 position is being posted today. This full-time position is due to a retirement. Duties would include Gohn Hall.
- Applications still being accepted for Part-time Events Coordinator and Assistant Volleyball Coach.
- The Nursing Instructor search will close soon with five applications having been submitted.
- The Director of Business and Support Services position has been filled. Scott Schneider will start on July 2nd.
- The TRiO Administrative Assistant position has been filled by Faith Grace. Faith is a 2012 Missouri State University-West Plains graduate. Welcome, Faith!
Constructions Updates:
- The Richards House is almost complete. It will be ready for the Board of Governors meeting on June 22nd.
- Gohn Hall is progressing well.
- Melton Hall’s HVAC update has been completed. The cooling system seems to be working well.
Board of Governors Meeting:
- Grayson will present for the Staff Senate at the June 22nd Board of Governors meeting. Topics will include:
- Thank you’s for the Shared Leave Pool and the pay increase;
- Total dollars raised during Lee Denim Day and the Chili Cook Off;
- Involvement of Staff Senate in Welcome Week lunch provided to incoming students on the Friday of Welcome Week.
Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival:
- The University has an information booth at the Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival. Additional volunteers are welcome to man the booth.
New Business:
Staff Senate Blog:
- Grayson has created a Staff Senate Blog. This will be utilized during meetings to view the minutes and agenda. No paper agenda/minutes will be distributed. Staff Senate is doing their part to Go Green! The blog can be located at http://blogs.wp.missouristate.edu/staffsenate/
Training Opportunities:
- Several training opportunities are upcoming, including WebPress, Argos, Self-Service Reporting and Pop Sel/Letter Generation for Baseline Banner users. Use the Contact Us link in the Staff Senate Blog or contact the IT department for further information or to request other types of training.
- The Springfield campus would like to find a local person to hire to do this type of training part time. Contact Paula Wilhelm on the Springfield campus to refer someone for that position.
A Smoother Path:
- Admin Council is reviewing the various processes students must go through before they make it to the classroom. The online admissions application is currently being reviewed. Additional processes, including Financial Aid, will also be reviewed to ensure that the process is smooth for students.
Missouri State University-West Plains Faculty/Staff Wall of Fame:
- A suggestion has been made to create a Wall of Fame for Faculty/Staff. Long-time employees would be acknowledged on this picture wall.
Welcome Week Lunch Request:
- Student Government Association Vice-President Kristi Ary requested that Staff Senate again provide lunch to the students on the Friday of Welcome Week. Karen Ryburn made the motion and Alex Graham seconded it. The motion was approved.
Announcements:
- Future meetings will be on the 2nd Friday of the month in Cass Hall Conference room as voted on at the May meeting. The June 15th meeting had already been established at that time.
Adjournment:
- Meeting was adjourned.
- Next meeting will be July 13th in the Cass Hall Conference Room.